Rakus, a male orangutan with a facial wound, at Gunung Leuser National Park in North Sumatra, Indonesia. / Getty
Researchers observed a male Sumatran orangutan using medicinal herbs to treat a wound on its face in a new scientific report released on Thursday, according to The Guardian. Rakus, an orangutan a group of researchers was studying in the rainforest of Indonesia, was snacking on a liana climbing vine when he started chewing the leaves without swallowing them, and applying the juice from his mouth to his injured face. The animal covered the gash completely, and within a few days the wound had closed. According to the scientists the liana vine has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and pain-killing properties, among a slew of other health benefits. The report details the first time a wild animal has been observed using medicinal herbs to treat an open wound. “It shows that he, to some extent, has the cognitive capacities that he needs to treat the wound with some medically active plants,” said Dr Caroline Schuppli, the senior author of the research. “But we really don’t know how much he understands.”
